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Additional Information:

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Leptin Details:

Leptin is a natural hormone used to help control hunger.

It is well known that leptin signaling is one of the body’s most powerful hormones in regulating food intake and body weight gain.  This cell signaling is primarily due to leptin receptor activation in two areas of the brain called the hypothalamus and hippocampus.  For many of us excessive consumption is not because of hunger related to need for nutrients.  Rather, it is in response to feeling stressed or anxious.  Given leptin’s diverse influences in the brain, it is not surprising that years of research on leptin actions have demonstrated a powerful role in how we feel anxious and eat excessively.

 

The following are some questions many of us ask ourselves…

Do I eat because I am stressed?

Do I eat because I am feeling anxious?

What are signs that I’m feeling stressed or anxious?

Do the beverages and foods I consume when feeling anxious have nutritional value, or do they tend to be high fat, high sugar, processed ‘foods’?

Does anxiety-related eating have hormonal control?

Does dysfunctional or reduced leptin signaling play a role in eating when I feel anxious or stressed?

 

Leptin is a Unique Master Hormone.

The hormone leptin is mostly created and secreted from adipocytes (fat cells), and influences numerous physiological processes that include food intake, cravings, addictions, body weight, energy consumption, memory, neuroprotection, and emotional behaviors, (Myers, 2009).  Leptin receptors are expressed in numerous brain regions which include: hypothalamus, midbrain dopamine neurons of the ventral tegmental area (VTA), amygdala, nucleus accumbens, and prefrontal cortex of the limbic region. There are two types of dopamine receptors expressed in the central amygdala, of which the ones called the

D1 receptors are shown by research to affect anxiety behaviors, (de la Mora, 2005).  On a practical level, in that we are continuously bombarded with appetite stimulating imagines, leptin has been found to reduce activation of the ventral striatum to images of food, (Baiey, 2007).

 

Signs of feeling stressed or anxious.

Reduced social interaction is a measure of anxiety, (File, 2003). It is hard to measure anxiety and leptin effects so mice studies are usually used.  It is found that leptin injections in mice significantly decreased their immobility times, (Liu,2014), which is seen as a measure of “behavioral despair” which is an indicator of depression and also increased elevated maze (a type of test use to measure anxiety) exploration which demonstrates leptin effectiveness in reducing anxiety-related behavior.  Leptin injections in mice also demonstrated increased social behaviors and interactions, (Liu,2014). The dopamine neurons  in the VTA  when inactivated show enhanced anxiogenic-like (increased anxiety) behaviors, but do not affect depression-related and feeding behaviors. This suggests the modulation of anxiety- and depression-related behaviors by leptin may occur via distinct neural circuits, (Liu, 2012).

 

Four years of use has shown our leptin signaling can help control stress or anxiety-related eating.

Since our introduction of isoenergetic cell-signaling™ leptin in 2013, we have had continuing reports from consumers as well as weight management practitioners that people feel less stressed.  A corollary is that some people feel their stress or anxiety-related insomnia is also reduced.  We have learned that this is true for people regardless of whether or not they are of normal weight or overweight.  Given the effects of hyperleptinemia (excess leptin) which exists for people who are overweight, it is highly likely that the results would be more pronounced.

 

Taking No Thanks I’m Full leptin-signaling at the onset of stress-related eating.

It is important to identify the activities and times when you stress eat.  Is it during the afternoon because of work conditions?  Is it because of social situations that result in your feeling stressed or anxious?  After you have identified these situations, take No Thanks I’m Full before such situations, if predictable and possible, or at least when you feel the urge to eat arise.  As we find with many people, forgetting to turn use it can’t be of benefit, so please don’t leave it on the shelf and forget that it is there to potentially help.

 

Leptin receptor activation in certain areas of the brain lessen anxiety-like behaviors.

Leptin receptor are expressed on dopamine neurons and are shown to increase dopaminergic activity in the amygdala area of the brain.  Research by Liu, et.al. has shown that leptin receptor signaling in midbrain dopamine neurons play a crucial role in the expression of anxiety, (Liu,2011).  It has not be clinically proven whether or not isoenergetic leptin cell signaling can also lessen anxiety and anxiety-related eating behaviors, but anecdotal reports are showing that it can.

 

A possible combined immediate response and gradual response to leptin signaling.

As excessive fat results in excessive serum leptin levels which means decreased leptin transport across the blood brain barrier (BBB) to the brain and thus compromised or dysfunctional leptin signaling, we have to consider several issues.  Is increased anxiety-related eating due to a leptin deficiency in the brain or leptin receptor signaling deficiency at the cell surface?  It could be due to both because (1) lack of adequate leptin levels in the brain reduce interactions with leptin receptors and (2) over time atrophy can results due to lack of signaling.

The concept of neuroplasticity is involved in the therapeutic actions of rebalancing hormonal signaling.  It is shown that adult hippocampal neurogenesis can be promoted by leptin, (Garza, 2008).  So it is possible that in addition to an immediate response which isoenergetic cell signaling can promote, it may also take time for the leptin receptor status to normalize.

 

Improved leptin signaling may help persons with diabetes experiencing anxiety and depression.

(Ates, 2014).

 

Several Questions

* Could leptin help with PTSD? Yes, but underlying PTSD is an imbalance of the somatostatin-growth hormone axis, so correcting growth hormone signaling would probably be more beneficial.  Please try our Post Traumatic Stress Defense which was specifically formulas for PTSD.

* Can I be on anti-anxiety drugs and still take No Thanks I’m Full?  We always recommend discussing these issues with your licensed integrative wellness practitioner.  However, they have reported to us that they generally have their patients start taking them separated by time as much as possible, they watch the drug’s side effects to see if they manifest, gradually reduce the drug’s dosage, and monitor to see if feelings of anxiety are also reduced.

* As I lose weight should my stress-related eating also decrease?  As a person returns to his or her ‘normal’ weight blood levels of leptin should also normalize which means transport to the brain for balanced leptin signaling should also normalize.  Please note though that this may take time, and also established behaviors or routines are usually a part of how/when/why we eat.  So you may find continuing to take No Thanks I’m Full is helpful during this transition period.

 

Disclaimer

Please note that we do not dispense clinical advice but encourage you to see your licensed integrative wellness practitioner.  This formula has not been evaluated by the FDA.  It is not intended to diagnose, cure, prevent or manage any disease.

 

References

BBB

* Baiey K, London ED, Monterosso J, et.al. Leptin replacement alters brain response to food cues in genetically leptin-deficient adults. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2007;104(46):18276-18279.

DDD

 

* de la Mora MP, Cardenas-Cachon L, Vazquez-Garcia M, et.al. Anxiolytic effects of intra-amygdaloid injection of the D1 antagonist SCH23390 in the rat. Neurosci Lett. 2005; 377(2):101-105.

FFF

* File SE, Seth P. A review of 25 years of the social interaction test. Eur J Pharmacol. 2003;463:35-53.

GGG

* Garza JC, Guo M, Zhang W, et.al. Leptin increases adult hippocampal neurogenesis in vivo and in vitro. J Biol Chem. 2008;283:18238-18247.

LLL

* Liu J, Garza JC, Bonner J, et.al., Acute administration of leptin produces anxiolytic-like effects: a comparison with fluoxetine. Psychopharmacology (Berl). 2010 Jan;207(4):535-545.

* Liu J, Perez SM, Zhang W, et.al. Selective deletion of the leptin receptor in dopamine neurons produces anxiogenic-like behavior and increases dopaminergic activity in amygdala. Mol Psychiatry. 2011 Oct;16(10):1024-1038.

MMM

* Myers MG Jr, Munzberg H, Leinninger GM, Leshan RI. The geometry of leptin action in the brain: more complicated than a simple ARC. Cell Metab. 2009;9(2):117-123.